After three nights in Bukhara, we headed to Qarshi. This is a stopover on the way to Termez.
Here is the story about our shared taxi journey from Bukhara to Qarshi.
Shared taxi stand from Bukhara to Qarshi
The journey from Bukhara to Qarshi is approximately 160 km. We decided to take a shared taxi. Shared taxis to Qarshi are located close to the airport, near the Gazli motorway and the A 380 roundabout. We took a Yandex taxi from the old town centre (8,500 som) and told the driver that we were going to a taxi stand for Qarshi. The shared taxi stand is easier to find on Maps.me than on Google Maps.
When we arrived at the shared taxi stand, many cars were already parked and several drivers asked, “Qarshi?”.
Shared taxi price from Bukhara to Qarshi
The first price quoted was 100,000 som per person, which is double the price of the locals. When we travelled by train from Khiva to Bukhara, the Uzbek man we shared a sleeping compartment with lived in this region and had told us the right shared taxi fare in advance.
The normal fare from Bukhara to Qarshi was 50,000 som per person, and this was the price we finally negotiated.
At this point, there was an English-speaking Uzbek who also wanted to go to Qarshi. He was very helpful as he interpreted for us to negotiate with the driver. We shared the taxi to Qarshi with him and another young Uzbek passenger.
When we agreed on a price and tried to fit our luggage in the boot, the driver said that we couldn’t use the boot. He had something else to put in hus boot. We had no choice but to get into the car with our backpacks and squeeze in. It’s just a two-hour journey to Qarshi, so we had to be patient.
Departure from Bukhara: 9:45 am
After agreeing the price, we got in the car and set off for Qarshi. As usual, the car stopped to refuel as soon as it departed. We had to get out off the car again at the methane gas station.
As mentioned previously, many vehicles in Uzbekistan run on methane gas, and methane gas stations are widespread.
Arrival in Qarshi: 12.15pm
The road from Bukhara to Qarshi was well maintained, a straight asphalt road in a flat steppe plain. We drove briskly and reached the town of Qarshi in just over two hours. We were dropped off en route, close to the hotel where we would be staying.
We were dropped off at 12:15pm. The journey took two and a half hours, including a methane stop. The journey was comfortable in an air-conditioned car, although it was a little cramped with our luggage on our laps.
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